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[melfinawins]

[melfinawins]

I'm cackling

Yes, did you think we forgot Storer? You think this game is for the weak????

you guys. i just know we haven’t seen the last of sydney’s short rib risotto… that’s an unfinished storyline that ought to be returning

[melfinawins]

god-tier sydcarmy fics

no one asked but i'm suddenly overcome with gratitude that fic writers just drop these gems for FREE. we are so lucky. these are the ones i constantly reread because they make me feel so much.

all of these are rated M or E because if they ain't fuckin, i ain't reading.

five times at a simmer; once boiling over by seh28 my kink? emotional intimacy. that's what these two need more than any bullshit stars. this fic serves it up like it's a floor donut and i'm carmy straight up eating that shit.

friends, partners, and intimates by sashafiercer i'm always here for it when syd gives carmy what he deserves. and i'm DEFINITELY here for it when the dialogue between the two is so on point it gives me whiplash. written by an all time 🐐.

forget about your house of cards by minecrafter42 i love reading about how carmy can't get it together in sydney's presence. this fic presents their dynamic so viscerally that the slow burn is more like a slow simmer. i needed a cigarette after i finished this one.

temper, temper by malariamonsters have you ever read anything so beautiful it made you cry? yeah, this fic. it's at the top of the tag for a reason because it captures carmy's consuming love for syd so perfectly. i want to live inside this fic.

child with a child pretending by emilybrontay sydney has a baby before she starts working at the beef, and carmy knows what bluey is. i'm done. i am very picky when it comes to stories set in sydney's POV (my girl is a complex masterpiece, you better get her right), and this is one of the greatest, most thoughtful.

Mise En Place by badcircuit love fics that present syd and carmy as partners in every sense of the word. beautifully written, hot as fuck. another one that gets syd right. again, i take portrayals of my girl so seriously and this one is gorg.

Take Care by oysterknife oh boy. this one literally came out last week but i already read it upwards of 10 times. i will read anything oysterknife writes but GODDAMN. this one changed my brain chemistry with the emotional intimacy between the two. i love longing and yearning and this one is like a masterclass in it. the literary references made me kick my feet and giggle. as a brooklyn girlie, THIS is the nyc i wanna see: flushing, crown heights, greenpoint minus the condos, shitting on the residents of murray hill, i want it all. also the ending made me sob. not joking.

[melfinawins]

I'M LOSING MY MIND!!!

Someone teleport me to June lmao

I just wanna say this…Carman’s hand was shaking under that table when they held eye contact. Then the dialogue in that scene; sound like they they were fucking(dirty talk) “Yeah?”“what kind of potato chips?” “Oh fuck” IF YALL WERENT SETTING IT UP LIKE THAT, WHY DID ONLY TALKING BOUT AN OMELETTE SOUND INTIMATE?!!!

Then on top of that, why they standing so close? Their feet are damn near touching…hands resting right besides each other, just needing to move an inch. The eye contact…first of all, ion care what nobody says, eye contact is gonna make you feel some type of way. I hold eye contact with my manager and the mf go to stuttering like English isn’t his first language. And yes, I do it on purpose, EYE CONTACT IS ON PURPOSE, LOOK AT THEM. THEY ARE DOING IT ON PURPOSE!

Sure ppl can say it’s so they can fully take in what the other is saying but dude…when you staring into someone’s eyes, your mind is running; thought after thought. Then it be about stuff that got nothing to do with what is being said. Carmen probably in his head like “I should’ve told her. She’s so pretty. I like that she lets me know when I fucked up. Her eyes so intoxicating. Fuck, what about Claire? Should I care? Is Claire my girlfriend? Would Syd be upset? Probably, if she got upset I didn’t tell her about the walls. I’m gonna get her that star.” MF IS IN DEEP, ION CARE WHAT NOBODY SAY. Dude had to think about his coworker to calm down…pfft, whatever. He want that girl.

[melfinawins]

nothin’ to see here, just the tv channel shipping on main

So was playing some clips of the show on the FX youtube channel and looky here what do I see - oh nothing just 4.45secs into the video below,

they show the scene of Marcus asking Sydney what her dream restaurant would be like,

then it immediately cuts to the scene in S1 where Carmy and Sydney are telepathically then verbally describing The Bear ‘two tops , booths’

Because Carmy through soulmate telekinesis knew what Syd would want in a restaurant.

Now why the HELL did FX choose to put those scenes together to make that point? (Cuz they’re damn shippers too!)

Here’s where the antis say ‘oh but platonic friends also can know each other well’. Yes that’s very true, but in a tv screenwriting context when do you ever see friends, male- female friends , relationship closeness be portrayed by them finishing each other’s sentences- then looking at each other in loving adoration? Be real now

[melfinawins]

me when sydney and carmen kiss in season 3 but the redditors say they tripped and fell on each other’s mouths

[melfinawins]

My SydCarmy fics MASTERLIST

🐻 Slowburn >>> They win a Michelin Star and Carmy confesses his love for Sydney.

🐻 Larrabe >>> Syd mov to her own place, they win a Michelin star and “celebrate”. Luca and Claire also make an appearance here.

🐻 Pasta >>> Carmy & Syd cook together, then eat each other and then there’s this invisible string they discover has always linked them in a sense. Mikey is also mentioned here.

🐻 Heart >>> Carmy goes to therapy to get in touch with his true feelings and Syd tries to deny hers, which explains her ❤️ tattoo.

🐻 Hint >>> Claire reflects on her breakup with Carmy.

🐻 Sunset >>> Carmy must make a choice. Are actions ultimately more important than words?

🐻 Pillow >>> Syd and Carmy open their X files. Not what you think. Now part of a collection alongside "Chef Talk".

🐻 Après >>> Carmy hits rock bottom. Love is an act of mirroring.

🐻 Chef>>> Sydney realizes that Carmy has an uncanny resemblance to a celebrity who features in a steamy CK ad. Claire makes a brief cameo here because "maybe" she always falls for the wrong guy. Now part of a collection alongside "Pillow Talk".

🐻 Madame >>> Sydcarmy is written in the starts but they need a little nudge. Love is in the air but they're fire!

🐻 Stella >>> Stella Bear, the heiress, is here. Now part of a collection alongside "Madame Stardust".

🐻 Shark >>> They get married in secret and honeymoon in Barbados where she starts calling him "Bear".

🐻 Ponte >>> They renew their vows in Italy on their 1st Anniversary. Now part of a collection alongside "Shark Hole".

🐻 Full Focus >>> Sydney finds out Carmy has been drawing Sistine Chapel-level sketches of her.

🐻 Dreams >>> They have wet dreams about each other simultaneously.

🐻 Tucson >>> Carmy goes to rehab because he almost checks himself out of life permanently and learns to use his words, Syd grows too fond of this new Carmy.

Remember to Reblog and recommend if you like it and comments are always welcome on AO3 because more often than not I get inspo from them, seeing as I have the best Sydcarmy readers out there!

XOXO

[melfinawins]

Another excellent analysis. I finally got my partner to watch the show and we've been discussing it non-stop (and our kiddo just rolls his eyes and goes back to his gaming lmao), and it's been great to use your posts as talking points about some aspects of the show lol my partner is firmly in the "Carmy knows he's in love with Syd by the end of season 2 but is incapable of expressing his feelings because of his trauma and inability to get out of his own way" and I'm not of that opinion at all. But what's great about this analysis is even though I don't think Carmy is aware of how deep his feelings run (though I think he's on the path of understanding some of the many reasons he is obsessive about Syd), he understands his why he should care about the restaurant and getting the star: and that's because SYD wants the star and SYD understands what opening the restaurant would mean to him and her. And his life might be a mess, but being with SYD is orderly and peaceful and makes sense.

I also love how he has the panic attack and makes all these promises to Syd BEFORE shit went down in S2E10. So the change of focusing solely on her happened before his breakdown of function!

Season 2 and Strange Currencies

A look into Carmy's head and his new inspiration-Syd.

In this theory I'm writing about Carmen's obsessive personality, his actions and needs in Season 2 and his past (Claire) connecting to his future (Syd).

Hopefully this makes sense.

Carmy is one of the most interesting character's I've watched on television. His paranoia, anxiety, his focus. In the midst of chaos, Carmy expects order, his obsession with straight tape, cleaning after his mother as she makes a mess throughout the kitchen. Running behind his brother as he makes a meal for Natalie, Richie, and Carmy.

We know of Carmy's focus and we see this through his relationship with Mikey and his family. He focused so much on his career everything else fell to the wayside.

I believe his focus in high school was Claire.

We get insight in Carmy's fixation of Claire in 2x06 Fishes when Richie mentions drawings throughout high school, much to Carmen's dismay.

2x09 Omelette, In season 2x09 we see Carmy trying to focus on life outside of cooking, trying to find inspiration through Claire what was once his muse in high school. But such inspiration fails.

Keep in mind the lyrics of the song that plays in the background. The Song strange currencies by R.E.M has two different meanings, one of an unrequited love and the singer's drive to fully love his significant other, though they're on different currencies.

We see this strange currency when Carmy focuses on Syd' suddenly, he's focused on Syd while Syd is focused is on a a star and The Bear's success. I say this new focus is a subconscious action on Carmy's part. After 2x06 Fishes, in 2x08 Carmy's drawings is brought up again, but instead of drawing Claire it's the chaos- The thoughtful chaos menu.

Thoughtful Chaos Menu- A considerate and new way to view the chaos in his work life, he no longer has to thrive in chaos and obsession and he longs to do something different, to love and find joy in his actions. Claire is simply soundboard used to show what he desires, a healthy look on his life such a new concept of the cannoli and seven fishes that reminds him of a chaotic childhood.

But such actions are misunderstood by Syd and the Viewer, we believe Claire is taking Carmy's full focus- she did in the past, now it's Syd. Claire represents the need in Carmy to have find joy in intimacy. (2x02 pasta, Carmy focuses on Syd's life as she focuses on her menu). This is a strange currency.

He's not in love with Claire, he can't define what she is to him because his focus lies in Sydney.

He wants to ask about her mom, but per the script she interrupts the question focusing on the dish instead. When he learns later on about Syd;s mother, he feels this is something he should know. How could it be something he should know about when she focused on the menu in Pasta?

Syd is Carmys muse and it's misunderstood that he does not care that much about it anymore. He cares for the restaurant but his drive is different. Carmy is in a different place and Syd has taken ahold of him.

Carmen: You have my full focus.

Syd is Carmen's muse.

[melfinawins]

The Sydcarmy dynamic

I just had this chat with OOMF and whilst I've been posting about Carmy because it's easier for me to get into his headspace, I never really went over their dynamic before here. I definitely have in my fics and while watching and re-watching the show for the past 3 months. Because that's how long it's been since I discovered The Bear, 3 months only, I started watching it on New Year's Eve while I was getting dressed to go to this party and by January 1st I had finished S2. That's what this show did to my head.

So, let's get into it!

From my perspective, the Sydcarmy choreography is the following:

The real Carmy is this aloof guy who only REALLY listens to Syd when she's distressed. And only then he gets his shit together for her.

He pushes all her buttons first (when he's the distressed one, he shuts down, he changes the rules).

And only then he behaves for a while, to get on her good side again. But then the real Carmy strikes again. And it’s an endless cycle of push and pull.

However, Syd secretly enjoys this because she sees this as:

"Awww he’s willing to change for me, for us ❤️".

“He’s shitty but he’s also trying and imma help him! Awww”.

And she’s right. He is trying and he can certainly be shitty.

And he is changing because of her, because of them. That's his arc.

And he pays her back by being the only person other than her father with whom she can be her vulnerable self.

She doesn’t allow herself to be truly vulnerable with anyone else.

She can let go of her G Woman mask in front of him knowing that he will never use that against her. Ever. That’s why they help each other.

They support each other in this journey of him being less shitty and she being more vulnerable. That is what makes them stronger. They are stronger together and that is why things fall apart when they are not together and that is why they will keep coming back to each other no matter how far apart they drift at different points of this journey. They will always gravitate towards one another because they "existentially" need and choose each other to grow. They basically push each other in the right direction. That is why they acknowledged that they make each other better. They are finally getting themselves to admit it! YAY! That's progress.

Their relationship is not based on love, respect, or even friendship but on trust. The rest comes later for them, as a consequence of the latter.

That’s why they are loyal to each other and when Claire was around Syd felt betrayed.

It wasn't jealousy. Not all of it, it was more than that.

It was loyalty, territorial loyalty.

She doesn’t wanna share because that threatens his loyalty, not necessarily because she’s jealous of Claire. She also feels jealousy, yes, but not consciously, anyway... because she is nowhere ready to admit yet that she has feelings for Carmy in a way a business partner shouldn't. She's not there yet. And he has recently gotten to that point, after the panic attack. So, basically, they are not there yet. I go over that here.

What Syd didn't know and it's a game changer, btw, was that Carmy was never “loyal” to Claire. He was just with Claire as a sublimation. Let me explain:

He was projecting. All the things he didn't allow himself to feel or do with Syd, he was projecting onto Claire.

That’s why at first he was reticent but when he realized he could do this with Claire, he was game! And finally, let Claire in. She had to fight her way in, he wasn't necessarily inviting at first. We all know how that turned out though... Not his brightest moment.

Now Carmy is ahead of the curve, compared to Sydney. He already had his realization/Eureka! moments during and post-panic attack and the walk-in moment, both catalytic.

Syd on the other hand, has a longer way to go in terms of self-awareness. That's why on the surface she seems to be keeping things more together. She is, for now. But she will have her walk-in moment too or some kind of trigger that will force her to deal with what she's been burying under a pile of excuses and rationalizations that serve her status-quo purposes, as mere defense mechanisms. Because the change will not come willingly, it will be forced and it probably won't be pretty.

They have that in common and it's also part of their dynamic → Taking things to a breaking point before moving forward, before LETTING IT RIP.

[melfinawins]

Full Circle

Claire started by a refrigerator

And ended by one.

How fitting.

[melfinawins]

scrap because this is so sweet and one of my favorite sydcarmy moments they mean so much to me im siiiickk

[melfinawins]

Voting as Fire Extinguisher

by Kyle Tran Myhre

When the haunted house catches fire: a moment of indecision.

The house was, after all, built on bones, and blood, and bad intentions.

Everyone who enters the house feels that overwhelming dread, the evil that perhaps only fire can purge.

It’s tempting to just let it burn.

And then I remember: there are children inside.

[melfinawins]

the potential for a scene down the line of carmy repeating sydney's words back to her by telling her she's "the most excellent cdc at the most excellent restaurant in the entire united states of america."

[melfinawins]

“ew no, 😫 i hate that ship!”

okay?? so go cry about it. tf you want from me?

[melfinawins]

//nsfw

one of the countless things sydcarmy writers on ao3 have gotten so right in their fics is that carmy is wholeheartedly, impossibly obsessed with eating syd out.

i read — “i really want to go down on you” or even worse — “i want to know what you taste like” and i’m like, yeah, absolutely, for sure for sure. that’s so true.

look at carmy — a chef, so specific and meticulous about his palette and different flavours and textures. of course of course of course he would be into that. it makes so much sense. like if they sleep together for the first time, that’s the first thing he’s gonna do and he’s gonna get down to business and do it well because he’s annoyingly good at everything he does

[melfinawins]

I won’t know peace until they’re canon

[melfinawins]

Carmy’s family gave Claire the bear, but Carmy gave Sydney The Bear.